Majestic Warrior Retired to Ashford

Inbred to two Hopeful winners, Majestic Warrior won last year's running impressively.

Majestic Warrior, impressive winner of the 2007 Hopeful Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga, has been retired from racing for stallion duty in 2009 at Ashford Stud near Versailles, Ky. A fee will be announced later.

A 3-year-old son of A.P. Indy, Majestic Warrior was destined to win the Hopeful. He is inbred 3 x 4 to Secretariat, winner of the 1972 Hopeful, and 4 x 4 to Buckpasser, who took the 1965 Hopeful. Plus, his dam, Dream Supreme, by Seeking the Gold, equaled a track record at Saratoga at 2 and won the Test Stakes (gr. I) and Ballerina Handicap (gr. I) there at 3.

Racing as a homebred for George Steinbrenner’s Kinsman Stable, Majestic Warrior appeared hopelessly beaten in the Hopeful at the top of the stretch before unleashing a rally that carried him to a 2 1/4-length score. The victory was the first in a grade I race at less than a mile for an offspring of A.P. Indy. The effort came a month after he had broken his maiden at the Spa in his first start.

After the Hopeful, Steinbrenner sold an interest in Majestic Warrior, and the colt raced the reminder of his career for Kinsman in partnership with Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, and Sue Magnier. The latter’s husband, John Magnier, is the managing partner of Irish-based Coolmore Stud, the parent company of Ashford.

Majestic Warrior raced next in the Champagne Stakes (gr. I) at Belmont Park that fall and finished unplaced. He came out of the race with a foot injury and was never able to regain his early juvenile form. He failed to place in four races this year and was retired with two wins and earnings of $239,229 from his seven starts.

“He was always very professional, a perfect student,” said trainer Bill Mott. “You couldn’t ask for a nicer horse to train. It was just sheer bad luck that he suffered his hoof injury. But for that setback, I am confident he would have been a major player in this year’s Triple Crown events. I’m also sure he’ll pass on his tremendous talent.”